IRELAND 2014: The Final Countdown

For the last 2 months I’ve been counting down days. “1 month left, 6 more times in Ambo, 2 more Monday’s left”… we finally reached the point where we have 1 Monday and 1 Tuesday and 1 Weds and (you get the point), and then we get to Sunday. And then we leave. WHOA.

I’m at an awkward point of being really excited to be home, but also not feeling like I’m ready to leave. I’m trying not to be anxious about how we’re spending our time – I want to make sure I take advantage of every minute we spend here, and it makes me want to have UBER control over our time (which, as I’ve learned, isn’t really possible here). It’s also a funny reminder of the beginning of the summer when I got an entirely different perspective on patience. So I’m expecting this week to be crazy, but I’m also making a to-do list with zero hope that everything will actually be complete.

Life update from the past couple days:

Practicing for graduation!

KG graduation was on Saturday. It was GREAT. It was way more interesting than what I’ve heard about Tech graduations, and I couldn’t even understand 80% of it. There’s just something about a bunch of 4, 5, and 6 year olds dressed up in caps and gowns that made the ceremony a lot MORE FUN (today Rudy said “funner” and I cringed) than seeing a bunch of college graduates (no offense to you guys). Some of the teachers were dressed up in traditional Aromic dress, the grade school kids put on a skit, and the “graduates” performed some GREAT songs that I would upload videos from but…. Internet problems. After the graduation, I got to go to my FIRST OFFICIAL COFFEE CEREMONY!!! (THAT was on the Ethiopia “to-do” list). It was complete with the celebratory bread (about 12” in diameter and 3” thick… the same bread we had at Kes Cimdii’s house for his daughter’s birthday), popcorn, kolo (roasted seeds), grass all over the floor, and coffee (go figure). It was GREAT to just get to hang out with the teachers for a while (I love them, and the only time we get to talk is when we’re surrounded by 200 excited elementary school kids), so it was really fun getting to sit and talk with them. Brittany also figured out why everyone is so skinny here – it’s a sign of affection to feed one another, so they all just ended up feeding us the bread instead of eating it themselves! There was a TON of laughter, lots of photos, and lots of eating done – when I think about it the only thing I can think is “pure joy”. It’s been a theme of the past couple days, and I love it.

Coffee Ceremony!

- Britt and I got to eat dinner with Jessica and Keith on Saturday night – it was SO good to see them again (they’re the missionaries we stayed with at the very beginning of the summer). They’re in Ethiopia indefinitely (until God calls them somewhere else) working with Mission Ethiopia. It was just fun to hang out with them and hear how their adjustment has been (they’ve been here for a little over 2 months). We got shiro and pizza for dinner – it was the perfect mix of Ethiopian and American culture. I like the shiro better.

- Speaking of shiro, this afternoon we went to dinner at Mezalu’s house (our maid- the same place Brittany and I went last week after the Orthodox service). She made shiro, more eggs and veggies, and this REALLY good potato thing. After we had sufficiently stuffed ourselves, Britt and I made the mistake of staying at the table. Mezalu came over, noticed that our plates were empty, and proceeded to re-fill them and then start feeding us (at one point I had to lower my head because I had a mouth full of shiro and she was about to stuff another one in… I literally would have choked and died). It was a TOTAL Kodak moment because she thought it was hilarious, so we were laughing and having our faces stuffed at the same time (on second thought, maybe it’s better there wasn’t a camera), but I think it’s a moment I’ll remember for a long time. Even though I felt like I was about to explode, I felt SO loved by Mezalu.

RANDOM THOUGHT OF THE DAY: We’ve now taught several Ethiopians how to play the punch buggy game, “nose goes”, “y’all”, and the card game “B.S.” (We taught Meti and she said “Oh! “Bible Study!”). We’re changing Ethiopian culture… not necessarily in the way I had planned at the beginning of this summer, but you have to start somewhere.

Prayer Requests:

- Team dynamics

- Patience

- Praise for Brittany and I’s relationship… she’s a rockstar and I’ve been incredibly humbled by the way she’s loved me lately.

- That “Do Not Murder” does not include mosquitos. If so, I have lots of repenting to do. The wall of my bedroom looks like a battle field.

What I’m expecting this week to look like (the sole purpose of saying this is so we can all look back and laugh at how different it actually turned out)

Monday: health screenings in Burayu, team meeting to wrap everything up.

- Tuesday: Burayu VBS and an orphanage visit!!

- Weds: AMBO!!! Finish some necklaces, do a couple home visits, love on and be loved by some kids.

- Thursday: Final lunch with SVO staff!

- Friday: Buy some more necklaces, do a VBS/goodbye thing with the kids, say bye to the staff, cry a lot

- Saturday: Last Saturday school in Burayu. Cry some more. Youth Leader retreat.

- Sunday: Youth. Cry. Fly.

At some point, we’re going to fit in shopping, hanging out with Meti and Simbo, and visiting a Leprosy home. Still haven’t figured out how to do that yet, but “chiqerelum” (no problem).

The church - decorated for graduation

Ray, this one's for you! Recognize the glasses?

Hawi Shumi!!

Lensa and Yadissa. It would be an understatement to say this is one of my favorite pictures. And that if I come back to Ethiopia, I'm TOTALLY setting these two up.